LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana – HBU bounced back after dropping the first set and appeared on its way to a four-set victory until McNeese mounted a furious rally to force a fifth set, where the Huskies finally prevailed over the Cowgirls, 3-2 (22-25, 25-21, 25-13, 23-25, 15-10), in Southland Conference volleyball Thursday night at Memorial Gym.
Senior setter
Kayla Armer dished out 51 assists with 20 digs, five kills and four blocks to lead the Huskies (15-10, 6-3 SLC) Junior outside hitter
Bailey Banks posted her 15
th double-double with 17 kills and 16 digs, while senior outside hitter
Melissa Fuchs recorded her third-straight and sixth double-double with 10 kills and 18 digs. Senior right side,
Ashlee Vann hit .378 to match Banks for the match-high with 17 kills, while junior middle blocker
Blair Gillard came up just short of a double-double with 10 kills and nine blocks. Junior libero
Hailey Erickson came up with 19 digs, while junior defensive specialist
Rachel Angeles chipped in with 11.
Katelyn Elliott led the Cowgirls (7-17, 3-6) with 13 kills, while Hailee Showers came off he bench for 11. Rebecca Korenek had 10 kills and four blocks, while Alexandra Aguilera had 43 assists and 15 digs. Bridget Justis led McNeese defensively with 30 digs, while Adison Giambrone and Angela McGownd each added 12.
The Huskies hit .209 for the match, while the Cowgirls hit .153. HBU edged McNeese in digs, 90-88, and outblocked them, 11.5-8.0. Both teams served up four aces.
The opening set was close throughout and McNeese led, 15-13, but HBU scored four-straight points to go up by two. The Cowgirls tied the score at 19, until Banks got kills on three-of-four points as the Huskies led, 22-20. McNeese took advantage of a couple of errors by HBU, two kills by Korenek and one by Rae Myers to score the final five points of the set.
The second frame was tied, 12-12, until two kills by Fuchs and one each by Vann and Gillard gave the Huskies a four-point lead they would never relinquish. HBU led by as many as five at 21-16, but McNeese scored four of the next five to cut the deficit to 22-20. Vann, Armer and Gillard put the set away with kills to tie the match.
Coming out of the break, the third set was tied, 10-10, until the wheels came off for McNeese. A Gillard kill and an attack error put HBU ahead by two and Myers answered with a kill to make the score, 12-11. The Huskies then scored six-straight points, all on kills by Gillard, Banks, Fuchs, back-to-back by Banks and junior outside hitter
Laura Fox. After a sideout, Fox got another kills, then a service error turned it back over to McNeese. HBU then scored the six points of the set to complete a 13-2 run and go ahead, 2-1. The Huskies hit .350 during the set, while the Cowgirls only hit .068.
The Huskies led the fourth set by four at 15-11, but the Cowgirls rallied for four in a row to tie. Trailing 17-15, McNeese scored three straight to lead by one, but HBU put together a four-point spurt of hits own to make the score, 21-18. The Cowgirls did not go quietly as they tied the set, 21-21. The set was still tied at 23 until Jenny D'Alessandro and Showers got kills to set the match to a decisive set.
With the fifth tied, 4-4, Gillard and Banks each had kills has HBU scored six of the next seven to lead by five at 10-5. The Cowgirls had life with kills by Korenek and Showers, but a service error halted the comeback. McNeese made one more push to get back to within two at 12-10, but a kill by Vann and an ace by Angeles sent HBU to match point. The match ended on an attack error by Showers as the Huskies clamied the final set, 15-12.
HBU returns to action when it completes its four-match road swing at Nicholls Saturday at noon at Strother Gym in Thibodaux, Louisiana.
